Pressure-equalizer.



No. 801,236 PATENTED OCT. 10, 1905. if

0. 0. GRIMES.

PRESSURE EQUALIZER.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 27, 1908.

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PATENTED OCT. 10, 1905.

'0. 0. GRIMES. PRESSURE EQUALIZER. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 27, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE.

PRESSURE-EQUALIZER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 10, 1905.

Application filed November 27, 1903. Serial No. 182,705.

To all 2072,0111, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CURTIS 0. Games, a citizen of the United States,residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri,have invented certain new and useful Improvements inPressure-Equalizers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in pressure-equalizers; and itconsists in a main body and two or more resilient members connectedtogether and to the main body in such a way that when any portion of thepressurereceiving surface of the main body is acted upon the entire bodywill yield in a uniform manner instead of simply that particular portionto which the pressure is applied.

One advantage of the above construction is that the entirepressure-receiving surface of the main body is retained in the sameplane when in its normal position and when subjected to pressure. Forinstance, if pressure he applied to one corner of the main body saidcorner will not alone yield, but the entire body will yield to the samedegree under the pressure. 7

A further advantage is that all the resilient members employedsynchronously resist the pressure applied and can therefore be made oflighter material than if they were acted upon separately.

Other advantages of the invention will hereinai'ter appear, and in orderthat it may be fully understood reference will now be made to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a perspective view of abedstead provided with my improvements. Fig. 2 is an inverted plan viewof the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on line III III ofFig. 2. Fig. 4 shows the device arranged in the form of aspring-mattress. Fig. 5 is a detail of a connecting-bar which is securedto the supporting members to cause their simultaneous operation.

In said drawings, 1 designates the main body, which in this instance isshown in the form of an ordinary bed-frame, comprising side and endrails 2 and 3, head and foot boards 4 and 5, and slats 6.

7 designates a pair of transverse supports located near the oppositeends of the main body and comprising a top portion 8 andoppositely-disposed depending flanges 9, which are preferably extendedthe full length of said supports.

10 designates tubular supporting-legs arranged in pairs and pivotallymounted at their adjacent flanged portions 11 upon pins 12 and 12,extending transversely through the depending flanges 9. supporting-legsare curved downwardly, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and provided withball-bearing casters 13, which permit the sup porting-legs to readilyexpand and contract when the main body is subjected to and relieved ofpressure.

The inner ends of flanged portions 11 overlap and are pivotally securedto rods 14, formed upon the opposite ends of a connecting-bar 15, whichlatter also carries pins 12. Rods 14 operate in slots 16 in thedepending flanges and are embraced by coil-springs 17, the ends 18 ofwhich extend in opposite directions and pressing downwardly on pins 12and 12 normally hold rods 14 and the inner ends of the supporting-legsin an elevated position, as shown in Fig. 1.

By applying downward pressure upon one end of main body 1 thesupporting-legs beneath said end will be expanded by said pressure, andin turning on pins 12 and 12 their inner overlapping ends are depressedand carry therewith rod 14, that partly rotates the connecting-bar 15,which in turn depresses rod 14 at its opposite end, which therebyexpands the supporting-legs, to which it is pivotally connected. Thesupporting-legs are held in alinement while being thus simultaneouslydepressed by the oppositely-disposed depending flanges 9 and are therebyprevented from exerting lateral pressure on and bending pins 12 and 12.The depression of rods 14 increases the tension on springs 17 so thatwhen the main body is relieved of its load said springs will immediatelyrelax and contract the supporting-legs which elevate the main body toits normal position.

In Fig. 4 the main body 1 is relieved of the head and foot boards 4 and5, and the supporting-legs are made straight and provided at their lowerends with antifriction-rollers 13, which rest upon transverse slats 6 ofthe bed-frame, so the supporting-legs may readily expand and contract,as above described, when the main body is subjected to pressure.

By substituting my device for the usual spring-mattress a verycomfortable bed is obtained, because its upper surface is always smoothwhether in an elevated or depressed The outer ends of the position.Consequently the ridges and depressions common with ordinary mattressesafter more or less use are obviated.

While I have shown the device applied to a bedstead and aspring-mattress, it is obvious that it can be employed to advantage as abuffer or for supporting car-bodies, Wagonbodies, and a variety of otherpurposes not necessary to mention.

From the above description it is apparent that I have produced a devicewhich is simple, cheap, and durable in construction and thoroughlyefi'ective for the purpose intended.

Having thus described my invention, What 1 claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. In a device of the character described, a main body, resilientmembers pivotally secured thereto, and a connecting-bar pivotallysecuring the resilient members together and pivotally securing a numberof said members to the main body.

2. In a device of the character described, a main body, resilientmembers arranged in pairs pivotally secured to said main body and eachpair having overlapping ends, and a connecting-bar pivotally securingsaid overlapping ends together and pivotally securing a number of theresilient members to the main body.

3. In a device of the character described, a main body, transversesupports secured thereto, resilient members pivotally secured to saidsupports, and a connecting-bar pivotally securing the resilient mem berstogether and pivotally securing a number of said members to thetransverse supports.

4:. A device of the character described, consisting of a main body,resilient supportinglegs pivotally secured at their upper ends to saidbody, a connecting-bar pivotally securing said supporting-legs togetherand pivotally securing a number of them to the main body, andantifriction-rollers secured to the lower ends of said supporting-legs.

5. In a device of the character described, a main body, supportingdegspivotally secured in pairs to the opposite ends of the main body havingoverlapping upper ends, a connectingbar, rods projecting from theopposite ends thereof, pivotally connecting the overlapping upper endsof the legs, pins also projecting from the opposite ends of theconnecting-bar pivotally connecting one of each pair of legs to the mainbody, and means for normally holding the upper ends of the legs in anelevated position.

6. In a device of the character described, a main body, supporting-legspivotally secured in pairs to the opposite ends of the main body havingoverlapping upper ends, a connectingbar, rods projecting from theopposite ends thereof pivotally connecting the overlapping upper ends ofthe supporting-legs, pins also.

projecting from the opposite ends of the bar pivotally connecting one ofeach pair of supporting-legs to the main body, springs for normallyholding the upper ends of the supporting-legs in an elevated position,and antifriction-rollers secured to the lower ends of thesupporting-legs.

7. In a device of the character described, a main body, transversesupports secured thereto provided With depending flanges, pins extendingtransversely through said flanges, and resilient members operativelyconnected together and pivotal] y mounted upon the transverse pins.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of twoWitnesses.

CURTIS G. GRIMES.

WVitnesses:

T. A. HIoKEY, LESLIE E. BAIRD.

